FRANKFORT — Frankfort’s street and parks departments are heading into a busy fall, with the city’s final round of grant-funded paving set to begin in October, leaf collection ramping up and crews already pulling Christmas displays out of storage at TPA Park.
Street Superintendent Brian Killman and Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ryan Edgar discussed the work Thursday on WILO’s Party Line program.
16 roadways in final paving round
Killman said the city is scheduled to begin its last round of paving under its Community Crossroads grant in October, with E&B Paving awarded the contract. Sidewalk work will come first because crossings that tie into the affected roadways must be brought into ADA compliance.
“They’ll put the new ADA pads in and stuff on those sidewalks,” Killman said. “They’re gonna do that first before milling and paving.”
Sixteen roadways are included. The largest project is Fifth Street, where crews will remove railroad ties buried beneath the pavement — what Killman believes is the last stretch of street in Frankfort still built over ties.
Killman said contracts are not awarded on price alone. “It’s not just the lowest, it’s who replies in their bids responsive and responsible,” he said, noting that some companies submitted roughly $10,000 in stone for the Fifth Street rebuild — far short of what the job requires. Bidders must also document insurance coverage, and Killman said he reviews each proposal with the city attorney.
Permanent rollover speed humps are also scheduled for installation in October at Dorner Park, along with Crescent, Kyger and Third streets. The city had been installing temporary humps annually, but Killman said repeatedly drilling anchor holes allowed water into the pavement.
Next year’s list due Sept. 30
Killman said next year’s paving list must be submitted to the state by September 30. He currently has 14 stretches on the list and is seeking additional estimates to add more locations.
Three sections of roadway came back rated a 1 on the city’s PASER pavement condition ratings, forcing Kilman to reprioritize so those streets are addressed. Candidates for next year include E Street from Harvard to Walnut — rated a 2 and, in Kilman’s words, “about to be a one” — and West Armstrong. Armstrong needs work from Jackson to Prairie, he said, but crews will start on the west end, from Sixth out to Prairie beneath the viaduct, where deterioration is worst.
Killman said heavy rain, freeze-thaw cycles and traffic diverted onto side streets by trains all factor into which roads get selected.
Alleys, leaves and a request for a vac sweeper
Killman said crews have graded, dragged and rolled every alley in town and continue adding stone and building approaches, including work this week on East Wabash. Stone spending has roughly doubled, from about $15,000 across the three prior years to $32,000 since he took over.
Crews typically use No. 53 stone, he said, though one alley is being trialed with No. 8 — normally a driveway material — to see whether it holds well enough to reduce annual grading.
On leaves, Killman asked residents to keep piles on the curb or grass rather than in the roadway or near storm drains, and not to park in front of piles. Burning leaves is not permitted in town. Bagged leaves must go in trash cans; crews will occasionally take bags only when time allows.
He also asked for patience on timing. “I can’t give a schedule of when we’re gonna start leaves,” he said. “Mother Nature makes that call.” Crews will make two or three passes.
Killman said his top budget request to council this year is a vacuum sweeper to replace the city’s mechanical sweeper, which cannot pick up finer material. Keeping drains clear, he said, proved critical during this year’s flash flooding. He is also seeking additional F-250s for plowing newly annexed territory out past the factories toward Jefferson.
Salt is typically delivered in late November or early December. With very little carryover from last winter, Kilman said he has increased the salt budget from $30,000 to $40,000 and is raising it again to $45,000, while experimenting with a mix of treated and untreated salt. Untreated salt works down to roughly 10 to 15 degrees, he said, while treated salt remains effective below zero at a higher cost — a tradeoff he’d apply to heavily traveled emergency routes.
Residents with street department concerns can call 659-2912 or email the department.
New basketball courts dedicated
Edgar said Saturday’s dedication of the city’s new basketball courts drew roughly 60 people, including sponsors such as Crawford Family Fencing and DK. The courts are already seeing heavy use — players were out under the lights at 5:30 a.m. the morning of the WILO broadcast.
Other park work includes completed playground equipment at Third Street Park, where the basketball court has been resealed and will be striped and the fence has been repaired and painted. Courts at Green Street and Circle Park have also been resealed and will be striped. Edgar said a fence around Circle Park is a possibility down the line given how many young children use it. The caboose at the main park has been restored and repainted.
The pool is closed for the season, with an Indianapolis company scheduled to drain and winterize it. The splash pad remains open through September 27.
Edgar credited his mowing crew for keeping parks in shape through an unusually wet year. “We’d be mowing twice a week like we usually do in the spring,” he said of the summer’s pace. Crews were also at Prairie Creek Park this week pulling weeds, mulching and setting up flagpole displays ahead of the weekend festival uptown.
Christmas prep underway, vandalism a problem
The Christmas barns opened this week, and Edgar said the first wreath is out and could go up next week after the festival. Several displays sent north for repair will return this year, and crews plan to relocate the donation sign near the former Santa house — two trees there fell this summer — and reposition the light tunnels. The city also purchased nearly two pallets of new lights to replace outdated strands.
Edgar said restroom vandalism has worsened in the past month to six weeks, with doors and toilet paper dispensers torn off and graffiti on walls. Cameras can be placed outside but not inside restrooms, he said, making it difficult to identify those responsible. A night-shift employee has worked most of the summer, leading Edgar to suspect some damage occurs during daytime hours.
He said youth from The Crossing will return to volunteer roughly once a month after helping late last season, and hoped that sense of ownership discourages damage. Edgar has also reopened part-time seasonal positions after summer employees returned to college, aiming to add help for Christmas display setup.
As for the former zoo area at TPA Park, Edgar said soil testing came back acceptable, but converting the space remains costly — an estimated 400 to 600 tons of pea gravel would need to be excavated 18 to 20 inches deep and replaced with hauled-in dirt. “We just don’t know what direction to go,” he said.
Party Line airs on WILO and Boone’s Best 102.7.
